2 sushi-obsessed food bloggers say these are the 15 best omakases in New York

Kyo Ya's omakase dishes are served in stunning handmade dishes.
Flickr/Kevin Tao
For sushi fans, there is no better dining experience than omakase.

If you haven't tried it yet, omakase is a meal in which the sushi chef selects and prepares his or her choice of the freshest fish at their fingertips.

Food blog The Infatuation has been scouting sushi destinations in the city for years, sampling a dizzying array of morsels to find the very best omakases New York has to offer. We asked blog cofounders Andrew Steinthal and Chris Stang (both music-industry execs who moonlight as food writers) to narrow it down to the 15 best.

Tanoshi

Flickr/stu_spivack

Tanoshi is BYOB, which diners love since they get to bring in their own bottles of sake. The atmosphere is intimate, with only about 10-12 seats offering a front-row seat to the chef's masterful treatment of softshell crab, scallop muscles, crispy fluke with ponzu, and miso-marinated black sable. At $75, it's one of the city's more affordable omakases. 1372 York Ave., New York, NY

Ichimura at Brushstroke

Flickr/T.Tseng

Chef Ichimura cures and ages his fish to unbelievably sweet and tender results. The omakase begins with a plate of baby squid, cured uni, herring shoe, and cured tuna stuffed in shiso leaves. Next up is a sashimi course with freshly grated wasabi followed by a main course of nigiri sushi piled on top of warm rice. Note: this is an uni-lovers paradise. 30 Hudson St., New York, NY

Neta

Neta

A fusion of flavors awaits at Neta. Look for plates like Dungeness crab dressed in cucumber, wild parsley, and dashi vinaigrette, or scallops with uni, mushrooms, and foie gras. For the adventurous, the omakase sometimes includes blowfish. 61 W. 8th St., New York, NY

Sushi Of Gari Tribeca

Flickr/advencap

To order anything other than sushi at Sushi of Gari is just foolish. Reviews rave about the omakase's perfectly portioned bites, such as salmon dipped in onion sauce and served with a side of torched tomato tartare. The fluke with quail egg is a signature here. 130 W. Broadway, New York, NY

Kura

Yelp/Kimberly P.

At Kura, you can choose from three omakase menus promising torched fatty tuna, seared Scottish salmon, clam miso soup, and sweet soy sauce mochi. Almost all of the seating is at the bar, and the chef is known for joking with diners and putting on a show: he prepares live prawns and often torches his dishes with artistic flair. 130 St. Marks Pl., New York, NY

Sushi Seki

Facebook/Sushi Seki

Open until 3 a.m., Sushi Seki has an excellent late-night omakase. Diners get a mix of hot and cold dishes, a salmon roll served with grilled tomato, spicy scallop hand rolls, yellowtail perked up with fresh jalapeño, and Japanese red snapper. 1143 1st Ave., New York, NY

Kyo Ya

Flickr/Kevin Tao

The Infatuation notes that this unmarked, subterranean spot has a devout fanbase — people who take their sushi seriously — but that its take on omakase isn't the norm. Rather than the traditional omakase, served piece-by-piece, Kyo Ya opts for a kaiseki-style procession of more composed dishes on stunning, handmade plates. 94 E. 7th St., New York, NY

Jewel Bako

Flickr/bionicgrrrl

Jewel Bako is a veteran of the New York sushi scene — and it's famous for its use of live ingredients. The omakase here includes large makimono rolls stuffed with live scallop, salmon skin, and snow crab. 239 E. 5th St., New York, NY

Sushi Dojo

Two reasons why New Yorkers love Sushi Dojo: its 10-piece omakase is only $45, and the chefs like to use lesser-known ingredients like Tasmanian fish. Aside from watching the action go down behind the sushi bar (think chefs bending giant octopus tentacles to their will), diners can take advantage of an in-house sake expert. 110 1st Ave., New York, NY

Sushi Nakazawa

Yelp/Jordan S.

Sushi Nakazawa's omakase promises a 20-piece meal with everything from smoked sockeye salmon to fresh water eel and the ever-simple yet difficult to master tamago (sushi's answer to an omelette). A chilly scoop of lychee gelato is the best way to end a meal here. 23 Commerce St., New York, NY

Kanoyama

Flickr/Sun Brockie

The portions of this nine-piece omakase are generous, as sushi goes, and include eel, golden eye snapper from Japan, delicate cuttlefish, and Japanese yellowtail. The house is packed on weekends so aim for a weeknight visit. 175 2nd Ave., New York, NY

15 East

15 East

15 East recently lost its longtime chef, but its reservation book remains packed. There's a decadence to omakase here, with plenty of uni, gorgeous mackerel, and three to four chefs attending to your every whim. If sitting at the bar, feel free to ask questions and chat with the chefs — they love that here. 15 E. 15th St., New York, NY

Sushi Yasuda

Rated one of the best restaurants in New York by Zagat, Sushi Yasuda offers the traditional omakase experience — which is evidenced by what goes on your plate and the atmosphere that surrounds you. The eel here is so preciously treated that sauce is unnecessary, the roe has a rich, buttery flavor, and the tuna melts in your mouth. 204 E. 43rd St., New York, NY